Buccaneers’ Aqib Talib Named “Person of Interest” In Investigation

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib is being sought by Garland (TX) police as a “person of interest” as part of an alleged altercation that took place last week. According to the Dallas Observer, Talib, along with his mother, sister and sister’s boyfriend had a blow up that included a pair of guns and at least five shots fired.

According to a GPD initial report about the incident and two sources familiar with the case Talib allegedly attempted to pistol-whip his sister Saran’s boyfriend, Shannon Billings, and then, after a struggle, used his mother Okolo’s pistol and fired several shots at Billings as he fled the scene on foot.

So far, neither Talib nor his agent are commenting on the story. Because of the lockout, the Buccaneers aren’t allowed to comment. However this is the latest in a continuing pattern of troubling behavior for Talib since joining the NFL – beginning with a fight with a teammate during the Rookie Symposium in 2008. To this point, his most serious trangression has been an alleged assault on a cab driver in August 2009, an issue to which Talib pleaded not guilty and settled out of court.

This, however, could be a much worse incident. If Talib is found to have been involved to the extent reported, he would likely be looking at significant jail time. Even if the charges aren’t as severe, the NFL has said that it will continue to enforce its Personal Conduct Policy once football resumes so Talib will certainly have to pay a penalty in terms of paychecks and playing time.